I scream and pull out my hair

And then you have one of those nights where they all just kind of piss you off.
The only thing that is getting me through the night, and is capable of not irritating me more than I am, is Oliver, who sleeps on his back up against me right now, and snores. Cooper is pretty cute, too, and he warms my heart, as well.
It started out as a pretty awesome day. I got to walk the trail, ran some errands, had tea with June. I also took care of my list at home, and put up all the St. Patrick's Day decorations.
But then, the other humans in my house came home, and my quiet sanity and serenity were gone. Quick question: how do you un-addict a child from their technology? Because I am there. Also: Brian decided that tonight would be the best night to come home sassy and dickish.
So, I've been holed up in my bedroom for the last few hours, and am eager to fall asleep and leave this evening behind me. "Calgon, take me away," right? Or is it, "Tomorrow at Tara"? Whatever it is, it had better include a decent lunch while the kid is at that birthday party.
I enjoy my family; I really do. Just a bit less right now.

A single jellyfish in a swarm of jellyfish

I've been super eager to hear anything about the job I applied to that had nothing to do with any of my previous experience. I checked the company web site a couple days ago, and the job was still posted, so I knew that it was at least still available. This afternoon, Aaron texted me the referral status (since he works there, he added his name to my application as a referral), and it said that they were currently considering my application. I don't need to tell you again how much I've realized I want this job. I would be most excited and eager to meet them, should they call. And I hope they do.
Sydney had her first eye exam this afternoon, and it turns out that she does need glasses. She's having trouble with seeing the smartboard at school, and these will help with that. She doesn't need them for reading or using the phone or computer, so these are, essentially, classroom glasses. On a positive note, she's super excited to have and wear them. She picked out exactly what she wanted, and is over the moon with them, and also is pouting because it'll take some days to get them.
I ate too many flautas today for lunch. They were delicious, which is what made me think I could stomach the last one, but really, I filled up too much. To the point where I didn't eat anything all afternoon, and could only force a croissant down for dinner. They were good, but I'll definitely practice more restraint in the future.
Yes, there were llamas on the loose in Phoenix today. Yes, they were entertaining.
Syd and I were bummed to not have an episode of The Voice to watch today. It made us very sad, and we are now impatiently waiting for next week.
Dude. You company. Call me so I can wow you with my awesomeness, and you can then give me a job.

Time for bed, my friends

I'm sitting here, all chill, watching Agent Carter (which is awesome, by the way), and suddenly, it's 12:24 a.m. I've been so good lately about getting to bed within the 11:00 hour. This is, of course, Brian's fault for coming up with a gross project for us late, and then distracting me from my show earlier. And so now, I'm all eager and hurried to get into bed so I can sleep and have energy to hike the trail tomorrow morning.
Information from Costco: The green chile chicken flautas are fabulous, and I can't wait to eat some for lunch. The chimichangas I tried were super good, too. We bought so much food; we should be able to live out of our fridge for a couple weeks.
This image has four space residents in it, just so you know. Do not dismiss it. The moon, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. I never thought I would ever see this in something other than the all-over view of my Night Sky app.

I'm a princess in Uggs, too

This image reminds me of a few things.
First, that there is little in life more comfortable than a good pair of Uggs.
Second, that as a bride, I wore flats under my dress because I refused to worry about falling over, tripping, poking holes in the dress, or my balance during the day that was supposed to be the most romantic of my life. I'll never understand the girls who wear the sky-high heels, in any situation, let alone their wedding day. Comfort is key, my friends.
Third, after a couple weeks of warm weather, it has returned to regular temperatures here in the desert, and I'm sitting here composing this post in my sweatshirt and sweatpants, with the hood up. I had put the slippers away for the season, but I think I can still leave them in the closet. My socks are doing well enough for me now.
Fourth, I started a new puzzle this afternoon, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I love puzzles so much.

I picked Michael Keaton, and lost

ITEM!: Last night, Brian won this year's Oscar contest, of which we have every year with JJ and Anthony. There are 24 categories. Brian correctly predicted 16 of them, and I got 14 right. Brian is a savant of some kind when it comes to picking the random winners, for like documentary short or feature documentary, or original score. It was an exciting game this year though, since Brian and Anthony were tied going into the last award. It was a good show, and we enjoyed watching it.
ITEM!: I had a dentist appointment this morning, which is always a good thing, because my dentist is hot. I have no cavities, because I don't floss regularly. My mouth is boring, to a dentist, but for me, it's pretty excellent. I feel kinda like I got beat up, though.
ITEM!: I'm watching The Grand Budapest Hotel right now, and I have to tell you, I'm enjoying it all over again. It totally deserved all the awards it won last night. I am, officially, a huge fan of Wes Anderson movies. My favorite? The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I am, officially, a little bit crushing on Bill Murray. Isn't that fun and random?
ITEM!: I've been applying my Burt's Bees repair serum to my eyes before bed the last couple nights, and I think it may be working on these "dark circles." Or at least it looks like it might be working? I don't know. I'll give it the next couple weeks. Over Sydney's spring break, there will be pictures taken, and I'll know better then.
ITEM!: It's Brian's birthday today, and he's awesome.

Dark circles are NOT glamorous

I think the problem is that I'm not getting enough sleep.
I've been unhappy with the look of the skin below my eyes in pictures for a while, but a particular selfie I took today really ... opened my eyes (sorry, but the pun opportunity was too rich). I have this divot? Ditch? Pit? Valley? Below my eyes, and in this picture, it is really pronounced. It's actually pretty gross, and if there wasn't an awesome goat in the pic, as well as some Beyonce-level blowing hair, I wouldn't have used it. So I asked Mom. "What is that HOLE under my eye?"
Apparently, it's a dark circle. And there's one under the other eye too, it's just not as bad. This is unacceptable. How the hell do I fix this? Is this the kind of thing that will push me towards plastic surgery or Botox or something? Certainly, I should start with sleeping more, right? And nightly repair serum? And concealer during the day? Ugh. Though the serum is probably a super good idea, as is the sleeping.
All I can say is, I've seen it, it grossed me out, and now it must be fixed.

It's a BIRD; it's a MAN

We watched Birdman tonight. Let me tell you, the soundtrack music of mostly drums was annoying. Because they weren't just drums in the background, they were drums as loud as the dialog, and sometimes I had to struggle to hear what the characters were saying because of the drumming. This isn't good for a movie, I think, and it's perfectly horrible for me, I know. By the time the movie was over, I had a pounding headache, and couldn't handle any noise for several minutes. In fact, I sit here in absolute silence writing this, because my head can't even handle the noise.
As for the movie itself, I will say that I can see why it was nominated for so many Oscars. It's Academy Award bait, and it will probably do very well on Sunday. The long-running shots were amazing, and the camerawork was incredible. The acting was well done, and the script was an interesting one. It's nice to see Michael Keaton get an awesome part, and the recognition, he deserves.
Having said all that, it gave me a headache, and I'll probably never sit and watch it again.

Hot dude is cool as ice (cliche alert!)

This picture is super cool to me.  I love the look of this old-timey (though not too terribly old times) man just cruising around on the ice, in his awesome suit and hat. He seems so weirdly sophisticated. It's an elegant thing to be dressed superbly and engaging in an unexpected activity.
Like, fishing in a wedding dress.
All things considered, I'd have liked to know who this is. He seems pretty awesome. And like he knows what he's doing. It's kinda hot, right?

Grey wolves aren't always grey

So, I played the ultimate game of hide-and-seek with my sanity this afternoon.
Witness: proofreading and editing a third-grade report on grey wolves, with the author on my lap, and she's feeling sassy. ... I understand that this is a third-grade paper, but there are things that are just wrong, no matter what.
You can't start a paragraph talking about "wolf" singular, and then switch to "wolves" plural in the very next sentence. Keep the information ordered and organized. Spaces go after the commas, not before. Double spacing is important, so the teacher can read the information easily.
All these things are pretty normal, and should be quick fixes, but the SASSY AUTHOR wasn't having any of it. I had to go into full-on patient, calm, and "happy to explain a thousand times until you hear what I'm saying" mom mode. A couple times, she actually was all, "It's fine, she won't care about that." And I'm all, "I appreciate your saying that, but I can't have you turn this in like that. I have to sign off on this. It's not correct. Fix it."
We finished up the report, printed it out, and affixed the visual aid. After that, when all is done, she's all sweet and angelic and thankful telling me how much she loves me, and how great the report is, and that she's so happy we did it together. She's a sweetie. She even wanted to put my name on the title page after hers because I helped her.
She's super excited to turn it in tomorrow. I just hope her teacher is kind.

An uncomfortable writing experience

This is one of those random nights when I'm typing up the blog from an incredibly uncomfortable position, because Oliver is the king of the world. He has decided that the best place to curl up is in between my legs, so I'm sitting up, all splayed out, and he's content. In fact, right now, he's dreaming. The computer itself is on the lap desk in front of him, so I'm typing to you from a good two feet away from my body. I won't lie, it's weird. My neck is starting to crick. I have to hold my arms up because if I touch him, it tickles him and he flinches. And because he's Oliver and king of the world, he gets all the cuddles and sleep and coziness that he wants.

A girl day is a good day

I thoroughly enjoy my days with Sydney when it's just the two of us, and we have an adventure or two, and just hang out. We started off our day at the butterfly pavilion, and because it was kinda lame and super busy, we decided to go to the zoo, too. Sydney was blown away that I was amenable to this idea. "Really? TWO fun things in one day?" The zoo was packed, of course, due to the holiday, but we managed to see everything we wanted. Our yummy and late Sonic lunch was delicious, and the late afternoon hanging out at home was exactly what we needed.
Tomorrow, she's back at school. I'm going to miss her a ton, but I have a whole lot of stuff I want to get done. However, I haven't made a single list, so who knows what actually will get accomplished.

I (heart) new opportunities

It was a lovely, if quietly boring, Valentine's Day in the G. household.
There was a peppermint mocha on my nightstand when I woke up, which really, is my only requirement on this day. Brian and I ate cupcakes for breakfast. I spent my morning chatting up the parents, both mine and Brian's. We went to Chili's for lunch because we had a gift card from Christmas. Sydney tasted the southwestern eggrolls and had a couple bites of one, so that's a holiday win. We watched Ghost Adventures most of the afternoon, and finally ended up playing Lego Marvel's Super Heroes again. Once the kiddo went to bed, Brian and I watched a bunch of Brain Games and this week's Bill Maher. I'm now upstairs, tired, and ready for bed.
Like I said, a quietly boring day.
What I'm preoccupied by is the job I applied for on Friday, and how much I hope that it turns into something. it's a new job in an entirely different industry, and it's entry level, and I feel like I'd be super good at it. I have a friend who works at the company, and he attached his name to my application as a referral, which may guarantee me an interview. I can't begin to tell you how much I want this job. It's totally time to learn something new. I've realized lately that perhaps I need a more ... practical ... career choice. Journalism, editing and writing just aren't cutting it for me, and I really want to contribute to society (in a workplace) again. I feel like my penchant for detail and accuracy in reporting will benefit me a whole lot in this job, so that's the hook. It's kinda crazy how much I'm hoping this thing will work out for me. I won't know anything until they call me, of course, but I'm on pins and needles.

Hearts and happy things

As for my Valentines, it should be noted that I've got a little gift for Sydney, Oliver and Cooper. Brian is, of course, on his own. He doesn't need anything. And I don't need anything, so I hope he didn't get me anything, except my morning mocha tomorrow, duh. (Of course we bought each other cards! We're not animals.) Ollie and Cooper each got a new red devil weird toy, and Sydney got a couple cute shirts I saw at Target today. The chocolate cupcakes with bright pink frosting are ready for consumption.
It's all good stuff for my Valentines tomorrow.
As much as I can't stand the forced romance of the day, I do believe that it's a good thing to celebrate love. Hearts and happiness, yay!

The solar system via cross-section

This may be one of the coolest images I've ever seen. It's all nine planets (NINE!) cross-sectioned and made into a sphere. Honestly, it's super cool, and I thought you all should see it.

You remember yesterday when I was all depressed about losing the Powerball? Well, I'm here to tell you that we actually did win part of the Powerball jackpot. Brian and I were the incredibly fortunate winners of $8. EIGHT. DOLLARS. It's ridiculous, but it's better than nothing, I suppose. And it made Sydney super happy to take our winnings and put them in her piggy bank. So there's that. It's not at all what I was hoping for. I continued my day in the fog of fantasy regarding what I'd do with such money. Taking care of those near and dear would of course be first on the list, but after that ... the world is available to everything. I'm incredibly bummed to still be a non-jackpot winner. I guess I should keep buying tickets though. They're only $2. You can't win if you don't play.

Bitters AND losing leave a bad taste

Because I'm that kind of mom, I tasted the bitter licking-deterrent spray before I spritzed it on Oliver's leg and wart. And because it's a licking-deterrent spray, it tasted horrible. Like, super horrible. I can still find bits and little tastes here and there. This is problematic because I'm afraid to lick my lips, or even eat anything, just in case the bitter got on anything else. On the ridiculously positive side, Oliver is not licking the wart, and it's already less icky.

Mom just informed me that I did not win the PowerBall lottery tonight. This is problematic because I really had plans for all those winnings. Honestly, I had plans.

Inferiority doesn't work for me

I guess it's an improvement that Cooper only gassed me a couple times today, rather than in a consistent fashion, as yesterday. So, that's kinda fixed.
Oliver's gross wart is still an irritant, but I was able to clean it, put some ointment on it, and then wrap it. Well, not really wrap it, but I did come up with a solution to covering the damn wart so it could stay dry. I put a band-aid on it. His hair is so short right now with the haircut that the band-aid actually sticks to his skin. I feel awful about having to remove it at some point, but this is really going to work, I think. He seems to be moving around with it just fine. I just need to get the skin a bit healed up, and then, via veterinary suggestion, I'll try spritzing it with the bitter apple licking deterrent spray. If we can fix this without making the vet remove it, I'll be a happy mom.
I remedied my cupcake situation this morning, and I'm not happy about it. The cupcake wasn't too terribly amazing, and while I'm pleased that I won't be eager to have another one, I am bummed that I wasted the calories on it. My day of calorie counting is a wash, and that bugs me. I've been feeling a little looser in my pants, and all that is too awesome to wreck with an inferior cupcake. Eating an inferior cupcake is no way to go through life.

Dog stuff, but then farts, and maybe cupcakes?

ITEM!: I'm being slowly and methodically tortured all day today. That torture? Thy name is Cooper farts. I have no idea what the creature has eaten, or what he got into, but the result of it has been killing me all day. They're all silent, but then I'm all, YIKES. My nose is under attack. My eyes start to water. My skin is kinda tingly, and I can feel the gaseous cloud waft across my face. And it's gross.
ITEM!: Oliver's got an icky mole that's growing on his knee. It's getting bigger. It hasn't bothered him, but now that he's got his haircut and he can see it, he is inexplicably suddenly bugged by it. So, he's started licking at it. I've put a cotton round and some sticky ace bandage on his leg, but he really doesn't like that, so he's without it again. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and find out how much it would cost to have the mole removed. It's the only one that's big enough to bother him, so I'm hoping that we'll be able to have it taken care of easily and quickly. Lovely.
ITEM!: Ohmygod, Cooper just farted again. I'm seriously under some kind of shock and awe campaign. Someone, help me.
ITEM!: It's February, and that means it's time for chocolate, chocolate chip with raspberry frosting cupcakes at Sprinkles. You'll remember that these are the only cupcakes that I really like at Sprinkles, and in fact, they're the only ones I buy from the store. Sprinkles gets all the money it gets from me in February. And you know, since I'm heading to the mall tomorrow to get my new glasses, I might as well try one, to see if they still taste good. I'll update you in tomorrow night's post.

We just might become a golfing family

I'm fairly certain that learning how to swing a golf club is not the best way to handle a paining back, but I did it anyway today. Lisa and Brad texted us from the TopGolf driving range this afternoon to invite us to come play with them. We were, of course, super excited to spend some time with the family, as well as have "something fun" for Sydney to do today. (Sydney, by the way, really enjoyed swinging a golf club today, and asked that we go back there more often. I'm going to get her some lessons.)
I avoided the clubs for more than an hour because of my back, but eventually capitulated and allowed Brian to give me my "first" lesson. (He actually taught me how to swing a thousand years ago when we were in college, but I don't really count that as my first lesson.) Anyway, I did well, or so I was told, and the swinging actually helped stretch out my back more than anything. Who knows how I'll feel in the morning, but right now, I'm okay with my decision to play. The more boring act of bending over the computer right now is more of a nuisance than anything else.
But the point, more importantly, is that Sydney and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the driving range today, and are looking forward to going back and learning more.

Ugh; pain like an old lady

I  tweaked my back yesterday afternoon doing something silly, and I'm still suffering for it today. I could barely sleep last night, and only in a position for a couple minutes before shifting and turning. I'm a bit better today, in that I am capable of sitting for more minutes than I was yesterday, but I'm still in a bit of an ache. All this happened because, of course, I have little to no strength in my core muscles. I'm working on that, as of yesterday, when the stretching and exercises have been therapeutic. All I need to do is keep up with them, and I'm in good shape.
If you can believe it, I've been keeping track of my calories for more than a week, and I've only been over my goal once since then. Even today, eating with the family, was an under-calorie day.
Daddy is bringing a bike for me with him in a couple weeks, and I'm super excited to start riding it around the neighborhood. There's a woman who walks around our streets, on a loop. for about 20 minutes every day about mid-morning. I figure I should be able to do that and more on my bike, and add to my hiking exercise. I'm not one for riding around on city streets, but going around my neighborhood, which does have an incline along a portion of it, should help me quite a bit.
The problem, you guys, is that I don't exercise enough, and the more ways I can do that in fun and engaging ways, the more apt I'll be to do it. Hiking and biking are my jam.

Oh man, now I want an owl

Just to put a cap on the last couple nights' posts, I'm obliged to tell you that my taco salad from Qdoba today was delicious. It was exactly what it was supposed to be, and the euphoria of it is carrying me through the evening. In fact, I may have a salad again tomorrow. That's my life lately, people.
Beyond that update, I've got nothing else for you tonight. Except this totally adorable picture of owls.

But it'll be so worth it

ITEM!: I'm going to be sure to hike the trail tomorrow morning so I can go eat a taco salad at Qdoba with no guilt or bad feelings about it at all. I've been fantasizing about it since last night, and my yearning will not be abated until it's been satisfied. ... Just checked the nutrition information on my customized salad, and I'm doing my entire walk just to be able to eat the tortilla bowl. No kidding. It adds 300 calories to my lunch. This is offensive, but not bad enough to make me not eat there tomorrow.
ITEM!: Oliver rode in the car with me this morning to take Sydney to school. Having arrived home, I closed the garage door before letting him out of the car, but then set him down so he could make his way into the house. He was leading me toward the back of the car and, rather than turn left in the darker corner, he bumped his nose into the door. The vet said that his cataracts would affect him more in the dark, but this is the first time that I've seen actual evidence of him losing any kind of sight. And it has shaken me. I'm not a fan of this, at all.
ITEM!: I had a weird dream early this morning wherein I led my friends in a counter-attack against an army that had invaded our shores with the purpose of kidnapping all the women and then making us wear burkas. I had tee-ball bats hidden throughout this township area, so we could make our way from place to place, arming ourselves with random weapons and bats. I beat several people who were a threat to us. Honestly, when I woke up this morning, my body was exhausted. I felt achy and stressed and tired, as if I actually had been running around town beating people to death with a bat. It was, obviously, a very vivid dream, and I'd rather not have it again (although it was totally cool being so badass), so I'm a bit nervous about going to sleep tonight.
ITEM!: Brian decided to make those no-bake cookies that I think are icky tonight. They consist of chocolate (good), peanut butter (good, but not mixed in with chocolate), and oatmeal (only good with raisins in a cookie). I was in the kitchen for the very beginnings of the recipe, which means I was able to enjoy the melted chocolate prior to the peanut butter and oatmeal getting mixed in. And ohmygoodness, that chocolate was delicious. He totally ruins those cookies with the rest of the ingredients. I could have easily, and happily, sat on a chair, with a bowl of that melted chocolate in my lap, and eaten it for dinner.

Yummy food stuffs on the horizon

I am, right now, so excited for a new restaurant that's opening soon in my area.
Confession: I've gotten super bored with Chipotle, and wish that Qdoba was closer to me. I am dying for a decent and quick taco salad, and there's nothing near me that fits the bill. (I just did a search, and discovered that there actually is a Qdoba not too far from me. LUNCH PLAN FOR THURSDAY.) There's a restaurant near Mom's house that is super delicioso, and I'm jealous that she gets to eat there regularly. Who knew that when living in Arizona, I would still be yearning for quick, fast Mexican food?
[Editor's note: In my head, there is a difference between a Mexican restaurant, and the faster kind of restaurant that I'm talking about. When given the choice, I'll always go for Julio's, or for that place on the other side of the freeway. But that's not the kind of place I need.]
The place is called Cafe Rio, and it looks like it's just what the doctor ordered. Yummy tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and yes, taco salads in a shell. I can't wait to try this place.

L is for ladybugs

I'm obsessed with ladybugs lately. Well, I guess obsessed is a bit heavy.
I'm particularly entertained by ladybugs lately.
I've got some ladybug gel clings for the window in my kitchen. The rock that Sydney painted like a ladybug sits on the counter in the kitchen. The ladybug magnet is awesome on my refrigerator.
You know what's missing? The ladybug nightlight that's at the local grocery store that I must have in my life soon. What else is missing? I don't know. I haven't seen it yet.
This picture is really cool though, right? Love the ladybugs!

Haters gonna hate, but that game was super

Well, for all intents and purposes, this was a super Sunday. Everything went the way it should have: super. I was permitted to sleep in, which felt super. And then, since I'd been to the grocery store yesterday, I was able to make some super English muffins for Sydney's breakfast. I had a super breakfast shake.
We went to the mall to check out the stuff going on there, and Brian bought me a super hat that's really cute. We played with a lot of other hats for Sydney, but her little nugget wasn't big enough to fill one, so she settled for some super chocolate with her daddy from Godiva. I do not think Godica is super, so I resisted. We picked up some super hamburgers, and then came home.
Or afternoon was super. I made some cheese dip, which tasted super. Sydney was allowed to play with the computer all afternoon, which she thought was a super way to spend the day. Brian and I watched the last football game of the season, and the ending was ... super.